Pet people are a special breed. This blog is for anyone who can't get enough news about the animals in our lives.

Pet lady: That's my role in the Miami Herald newsroom. I've been here since 1989, during which time I've had 11 dogs, a ring-necked parakeet, a chicken, and a lizard named Lance. At the moment, I have four dogs, one step-dog, and two cockatiels. A native New Yorker, I came here from Louisville, Ky. I'm a graduate of the University of Arizona, and had a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard in 1988. I have written 309 stories containing the word "dog" in the past 20 years.

Herald Blogs

February 27, 2008

HSUS Sues the Feds Over Meat Rules

The Humane Society of the United States Sues to Keep Sick and Injured Cows Out of Food Supply; USDA Loophole Contributed to the Largest Beef Recall in U.S. History

FEB. 27--The Humane Society of the United States today filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to close a dangerous loophole in the agency's regulations that contributed to the recent recall of more than 143 million pounds of beef, much of which was fed to schoolchildren in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia.

The recall was initiated after an HSUS investigation documented shocking acts of animal cruelty to non-ambulatory or îîdowner'' cattle at a slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif.

USDA has in recent weeks assured the public that sick and crippled cattle are not allowed to enter the food supply, but the agency's regulations actually contradict that assertion, said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States.

îîUnless we want yet another dramatic food scare … further eroding consumer confidence in beef and costing the private sector and the federal government tens of millions of dollars … we should not hesitate to close this legal loophole and establish an unambiguous no-downer policy that will also help protect crippled animals from egregious abuse.''

On Thursday, Pacelle is scheduled to testify before a Senate subcommittee examining the issues surrounding the case. He will call on Congress to pass legislation to strengthen the nation's farm animal welfare laws.

Because downer cattle are at a heightened risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or îîmad cow disease'') and other foodborne pathogens, USDA issued an emergency rule in 2004 to prevent downed cattle from being slaughtered for human consumption.

However, in 2007, the agency quietly reversed course and relaxed its rules to permit some crippled cows to be slaughtered for human consumption. That loophole … which fails to adequately prevent the slaughter of animals who are violently forced onto their feet long enough to pass inspection, as well some animals who go down after initial inspection … precipitated some of the most disturbing incidents documented by an HSUS investigator at the Hallmark slaughter plant, including employees routinely beating cows to try to make them stand, repeatedly electrocuting cows in the face and eyes, and almost inconceivable incidents in which they rammed animals with forklift blades and dragged them by chains.

The lawsuit alleges that the downer loophole is irrational and inconsistent with the USDA's obligations to ensure humane handling and food safety under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

The suit also alleges that the loophole was promulgated in 2007 without adequate public notice and comment under the federal Administrative Procedure Act.

îîThe school lunch program should be providing safe and healthy meals for our children, not serving up sick animals or promoting animal cruelty,'' said Diana Crossman, a longtime HSUS member and mother of two children in Los Angeles County public school.

îîUSDA is supposed to protect our children, and that doesn't mean telling us one thing and doing something else about allowing sick animals in the food supply.''

Facts:

The Federal Meat Inspection Act is designed to protect consumers by preventing meat that is îîadulterated'' … not fit for human consumption … from entering the food supply.

The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act requires that îîthe handling of livestock in connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by humane methods.''

Downed cattle may be at higher risk of contamination with foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, as well as the pathogens that cause mad cow disease.

Eating meat from cattle infected with mad cow disease is believed to cause an invariably fatal human neurological disease known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). It may take years for symptoms to develop after eating contaminated meat.

For more info and to see the video that started the whole thing, click here. But be ready for some very disturbing images.